Domestic appliance

ABSTRACT

A domestic appliance including a door that has an inner wall and an outer wall, wherein each of the inner wall and the outer wall has longitudinal edges and transverse edges, and wherein the inner wall is connected to the outer wall along the longitudinal edges. A closing element is connected to a respective transverse edge of the inner wall and/or the outer wall and has a groove that is open towards an exterior side of the door. A ledge, which is supported by the outer wall and arranged along at least one of the transverse edges and which is angled towards the inner wall, is engaged in the groove of the closing element.

The present invention relates to a domestic appliance, especially a refrigeration appliance, comprising an outer wall and an inner wall, which are connected to one another along longitudinal edges, and at least one closing element, which is connected to respective transverse edges of the outer wall and the inner wall. Such a door is known for example from DE 103 02 797 A1 and DE 102 59 749 A1.

A door of such structure can be produced simply in differing heights, as the outer and inner wall can be cut and formed from the same flat material in the length required for the desired structural height of the door and an identical model of closing element can be incorporated in doors of differing height.

One disadvantage of this known door is however that the closing element has to project slightly over the outer wall in order to be able to accommodate a transverse edge of the outer wall in a groove. The closing element is therefore clearly visible on the finished door and the surface of the door forms a small step, where dirt can collect, where the outer wall enters the groove of the closing element.

It is therefore desirable both from an aesthetic point of view and also with a view to easy cleaning, to develop the door described in the introduction so that the projection of the closing element over the outer surface of the door is avoided or the closing element is less evident.

According to the invention the object is achieved in that with a domestic appliance of the type mentioned in the introduction the outer wall of the door supports a ledge angled toward the inner wall along at least one of the transverse edges and the closing element has a groove open toward the exterior of the door, the ledge engaging in said groove.

While therefore with the conventional doors described above an edge region of the outer wall engaging in the groove of the closing element is flush with the remainder of the outer wall, and a groove accommodating the edge region necessarily has to have a side wall, which projects over the outer wall, according to the invention the fact that the angled ledge forms the edge region engaging in the groove makes it possible for the closing element to be moved back behind the front face, with the result that the closing element is largely hidden from the eyes of the observer and front face can be achieved, which is free from steps that may accumulate dirt.

In order on the one hand to be able to clamp the ledge firmly in the groove and on the other hand also to prevent too large a force being required to insert the ledge into the groove, the groove is preferably wider that the ledge engaging therein and the ledge is clamped on ribs projecting from a side wall of the groove.

The outer wall preferably forms a front panel and two side edges of the door adjoining the front panel in the known manner.

If the outer wall also comprises two peripheral ledges engaging behind the front panel from the side edges, the length of a wall of the closing element supporting the front panel is preferably shorter than the distance between the peripheral ledges, in order not to impede the insertion of the angled ledge into the groove on the closing element.

The closing element is also preferably provided with two tabs on the outside of the side edges to fix the outer wall.

A stiffening element is expediently fitted over a door bearing bush formed on the closing element. The stiffening element can help to fix the outer wall in a different manner. Thus on the one hand the side edge of the outer wall can be fixed between the stiffening element and the tab. On the other hand the stiffening element can also form a stop, against which one of the side edges respectively rests.

To fix the outer wall it is particularly preferable for said outer wall to form a hollow rib in each instance between the side edge and the peripheral ledge and for the stiffening element to have a protrusion engaging in the hollow space of the rib.

To simplify the assembly of the door, the stiffening element is preferably latched to the closing element.

The door bearing bush can serve as an injection opening for injecting insulating material into a hollow inner space in the door.

Alternatively a vent valve can be accommodated in the door bearing bush to vent a hollow inner space in the door.

In practice a number of door bearing bushes are generally present on a door, so that one can expediently serve as an injection opening and the others are provided with a vent valve.

Further features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an inventive door;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the outer wall of the door;

FIG. 3 shows a closing element of the door from FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a section through the closing element from FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a stiffening element;

FIG. 6 shows a horizontal section through the door, showing the stiffening element from above;

FIG. 7 shows a section through the closing element in a sectional plane parallel to the one in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view from the front of a closing element according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view from behind of the closing element from FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows a fragmented perspective view of the closing element from FIG. 8, an outer wall mounted thereon and a stiffening element to be mounted thereon, and

FIG. 11 shows a partial section through the closing element, the outer wall and the stiffening element from FIG. 10 in the assembled state.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an inventive door, which can serve as the door of a refrigerator or freezer or as one of a number of doors of a combination refrigeration appliance. In the known manner the door comprises an outer wall 1, which is formed as a single piece from sheet metal that has been cut to size, an upper closing element 2, a lower closing element 3 and an inner wall that is not visible in the view in FIG. 1.

The outer wall 1 is shown in a perspective view in FIG. 2, essentially showing the inner face of the outer wall 1, which is concealed when the door is mounted. The outer wall is made up of a slightly curved front panel 4, two side edges 5, each connected to the sides of the front panel 4, and two peripheral ledges 6 engaging behind the front panel 4 from the side edges 5. The peripheral ledges 6 serve respectively to secure the rear wall (not shown here). This is cut to size in the known manner, which is therefore not described in detail here, from flat plastic material and formed by deep drawing.

The outer wall 1 forms a hollow rib 7 in each instance between the side edges 5 and the peripheral ledges 6.

A ledge 8 is angled in a horizontal direction on the upper and lower edges of the outer wall 1 respectively. In each instance the width of the ledge 8 is greater in a center section 9 that at its two ends 10.

FIG. 3 shows the upper closing element 2 of the door in the perspective from FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a section through the upper closing element 2 along a plane identified as IV-IV in FIG. 3. The closing element 2, which is injection molded from plastic, has a flat base plate 11 and a second plate 12, which is joined together with this as a single piece and parallel to it, together limiting a groove 13 that is open to the front. The second plate 12 holds a number of ribs 14 that engage in the groove 13 and extend essentially in the direction of the depth of the groove 13. The second plate 12 projects over a front edge 15 of the base plate 11. In a center region of the second plate 12 a wall 16 is formed on its front edge, extending vertically downward.

When the door is fully mounted, the groove 13 holds the upper of the two ledges 8 of the outer wall 1, the ledge 8 being clamped between the ribs 14 and the base plate 11. When the ledge 8 is inserted correctly into the groove 13, the interior of the front panel 4 is supported on the wall 16. As the wall 16 projects over the front edge 15 of the base plate 11, the front panel 4 resting on the wall 16 does the same, thereby resulting in a door front face that is free from projections or steps and is easy to clean.

Two angled tabs 17, projecting at the longitudinal ends of the closing element 2, are provided, to rest on the outside of the side edges 6 and fix them in position in the assembled state as shown in FIG. 1.

A vertically oriented groove 19 extending along a rear edge 18 of the base plate 11 is provided, to hold and fix an upper edge of the inner wall.

Two openings 20 of the base plate shown in FIG. 3 belong to bearing bushes 21, which are provided to hold a fixed trunnion (not shown) on a housing supporting the door in a rotatable manner. The bearing bushes 21 are present in duplicate in a mirror-symmetrical arrangement in the known manner on each closing element, to allow the door to be mounted optionally on the left or right of the housing.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of one of two mirror-symmetrical stiffening elements 22, which are provided to be fitted over the bearing bushes 21 of the closing element after the closing element 2 has been joined to the outer wall 1 but before the assembly of the inner wall. The stiffening element 22 has a base 23, the shape of which resembles a box that is open on one side, with a roughly square bottom plate 24 and side walls 25 to 28 connected to the edges of the bottom plate 24. In the assembled state the bottom plate 24 touches the base plate 11 of the closing element 2, the front side wall 25 lies very close to the front panel 4 as an extension of the wall 16 from inside, with a cutout 29 at the foot of the side wall 25 holding the second plate 12 of the closing element 2. The outer side wall 26 rests on the inside of one of the side edges 5 and part of the side wall 27 touches one of the peripheral ledges 6. A rib-shaped protrusion 30 between the side walls 26, 27 engages respectively in one of the hollow ribs 7 of the outer wall 1. A sleeve 31 of the stiffening element 22 encloses the bearing bush 21 in an essentially play-free manner. Ribs 32 that are oriented radially in relation to the sleeve 31 connect said sleeve 31 to the side walls 26, 27, 28.

Attaching the stiffening element 22 on the one hand strengthens the bearing bush 21 so that a loadable door suspension can be achieved even with a relatively small wall thickness of the closing element 2 but the particular benefit of the stiffening element 22 is the form-fit fixing of the front panel 4. Because the stiffening element 22 engages with a form fit between the front panel 4 and the peripheral ledges 6, it prevents the front panel 4 moving forward when the hollow space formed by the outer wall 1, inner wall and closing elements 2, 3 is filled with foam, thereby losing its hold in the groove 13.

The lower closing element 3 can be embodied as a mirror image of the upper closing element 2, as shown in FIG. 1. One of the four bearing bushes 21 of the closing elements 2, 3 is then preferably open at its tip projecting into the hollow space of the door, to serve as an injection opening for a synthetic resin material, which is allowed to expand in the hollow space, in order finally to obtain a foam that completely fills the hollow space. The other three bearing bushes 21, which are at the corners of the interior furthest from the injection point, are then each expediently provided with a vent valve at their tip, to allow air but not foam to escape from the hollow space.

FIG. 6 shows a horizontal section through a part of the door, with one of the stiffening elements 22 visible from above. It shows the sleeve 31, the ribs 32 extending from it, the walls 25 to 28 and the course of the outer wall 1 close to the walls 25, 26, 27 and the protrusion 30. In this embodiment, unlike the diagram in FIG. 3, the tab 17 is extended to the rear around the hollow rib 7 and becomes a rib 33, which forms an outer limit of the groove 19 holding the inner wall, shown here as 34, of the door.

FIG. 7 shows a section through the closing element 2 and the stiffening element 22 mounted thereon in a plane parallel to the plane in FIG. 4. In this plane a cutout 36 is formed in a vertical wall 35 of the closing element 2 connecting the base plate 11 to the second plate 12, in which cutout 36 a latching protrusion 37 formed on the stiffening element 22 at the level of the cutout 29 engages. The latching protrusion 37 connects the stiffening element 22 to the closing element 2 in a non-detachable manner once it is mounted on it.

FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the closing element marked 2′, in a perspective corresponding to the one in FIG. 3; FIG. 9 shows the rear face of the closing element 2′ in a perspective corresponding to the one in FIG. 2. Corresponding parts of this closing element 2′ and the closing element 2 described above are shown with the same reference characters. As with the closing element 2 a base plate 11 and a second plate 12 limit a groove 13 that is open to the front and into which ribs 14 protrude, in order to clamp an angled away ledge 8 of the outer wall 1 therein.

A vertical rear wall 38 is formed on the base plate 11. Recesses 39 that are open to the rear and upward are formed in the rear wall 38 and the base plate 11, to hold an arm (not shown) that projects from the body of the refrigeration appliance and has at its end a bearing pin engaging in an opening 20 on the bottom of the recess 39, thereby concealing the arm from the view of an observer standing in front of the appliance. As with the closing element 2, the opening 20 belongs to a bearing bush 21 protruding into the interior of the door.

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view from below of a part of the closing element 2′ with one of the recesses 39 and the bearing bushes 21 and a part of the outer wall 1 secured to the closing element 2′ respectively. As described with reference to the closing element 2, the outer wall 1 is anchored to the closing element 2′, in that the ledge 8 (covered in FIG. 10) of the outer wall 1 engages in the groove 13 of the closing element 2′. Unlike the closing element 2, here the peripheral ledge 6 of the outer wall 1 engages behind a wall 45 of the closing element 2′, which limits the groove 19 holding the inner wall 34 (not shown), over a short distance. It is therefore not possible to join the closing element 2′ and the outer wall 1 by simply pushing the two horizontally toward each other, thereby inserting the ledge 8 into the groove 13; instead, when the ledge 8 is inserted into the rib 13, the closing element 2′ must be held at something of an angle, so that the peripheral ledge 6 can pass the wall 45 and only after passing said wall 45 is the closing element 2′ swiveled about a horizontal axis 40 (see FIG. 8) so that one end of the peripheral ledge 6 comes to rest on the wall 45, as shown in FIG. 10. This allows a first, tentative anchoring of the outer wall 1 to the closing element 2′ to be achieved.

A final anchoring is achieved in that a stiffening element 22′ shown separated from the outer wall 1 and the closing element 2′ in FIG. 10 is pushed onto the bearing bush 21 of the closing element 2′. The structure of the stiffening element 22′ is largely similar to that of the stiffening element 22 from FIG. 5, with the difference that in the case of the stiffening element 22 two tongues 41, 42 project over the bottom plate of the base 23, in order to engage respectively in a gap between the walls of the recess 39 and the side edge 5 or the front panel 4 of the outer wall 1 in the assembled state.

FIG. 11 shows a section through the tongue 42 engaging in a gap 43 between a wall 44 limiting the cutout 39 and the wall 16 supporting the front panel 4. A latching protrusion 37, which engages in a cutout in the wall 16, causes the stiffening element 22′ to be connected in a non-detachable manner to the closing element 2′. 

1-14. (canceled)
 15. A domestic appliance, comprising: a door having an inner wall and an outer wall, each of the inner wall and the outer wall having longitudinal edges and transverse edges, the inner wall connected to the outer wall along the longitudinal edges; at least one closing element connected to a respective one of the transverse edges of at least one of the inner wall and the outer wall, the closing element having a groove that is open towards an exterior side of the door; and a ledge supported by the outer wall and arranged along at least one of the transverse edges, the ledge angled towards the inner wall and engaged in the groove of the closing element.
 16. The domestic appliance of claim 15, wherein the domestic appliance is a refrigeration appliance.
 17. The domestic appliance of claim 15, wherein the groove is wider than the ledge engaging into the groove; wherein the groove has a side wall; wherein ribs protrude from the side wall; and wherein the ledge is clamped to the ribs.
 18. The domestic appliance of claim 17, wherein the outer wall defines a front panel and two side edges of the door, and wherein the two side edges border the front panel.
 19. The domestic appliance of claim 18, wherein the outer wall comprises two peripheral edges to engage from the two side edges behind the front panel.
 20. The domestic appliance of claim 19, wherein the closing element supports a wall that supports the front panel, and wherein a length of the wall is shorter than a distance between the two peripheral edges.
 21. The domestic appliance of claim 18, wherein the closing element has a front edge; wherein the door has a front face; and wherein the front edge of the closing element moves back behind the front face of the door.
 22. The domestic appliance of claim 18, wherein the closing element supports two tabs that abut on the outside of the two side edges.
 23. The domestic appliance of claim 15, further comprising a door bearing bush formed on the closing element and a stiffening element that is fitted over the door bearing bush.
 24. The domestic appliance of claim 22, further comprising a stiffening element, wherein each of the two side edges is fixed between the stiffening element and a respective one of the two tabs.
 25. The domestic appliance of claim 19, further comprising a stiffening element that defines a stop for one of the peripheral edges.
 26. The domestic appliance of claim 19, wherein the outer wall defines a hollow rib between a respective one of the two side edges and a respective one of the two peripheral edges; and wherein a stiffening element has a projection that engages in a hollow space of the hollow rib.
 27. The domestic appliance of claim 23, wherein the stiffening element is latched to the closing element.
 28. The domestic appliance of claim 23, wherein the door bearing bush defines an injection opening to inject insulating material into an inner hollow space of the door.
 29. The domestic appliance of claim 23, wherein the door bearing bush comprises a vent valve to ventilate an inner hollow space of the door. 